Despite the fact that it has killed over 100 people and left many areas of the east coast devastated, MSNBC host Chris Matthews sunk to a new low last night when he hailed Hurricane Sandy for helping Obama win re-election, crassly remarking, “I’m so glad we had that storm last week.”

After waxing lyrical over how pleased he was about Obama’s victory, Matthews stated, “I’m so glad we had that storm last week because I think the storm was one of those things — no, politically I should say. Not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics.”

Despite Matthews paying lip service to those who had their lives torn apart by the hurricane, the man who once spoke of how an Obama speech caused “a thrill going up my leg,” is clearly suggesting that Obama’s second term was secured by the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

This is a grossly cynical, insensitive and downright vulgar observation to make. Matthews is flagrantly expressing his glee that Obama’s victory was helped by dozens of dead people and thousands of lives ruined. Matthews apparently thinks the cost was worth it simply so his preferred presidential puppet could be successful.

Although Matthews is a loser in the world of network news – his Hardball show is plagued by poor viewing figures - his ego only seems to have expanded during the course of the presidential campaign.

Matthews routinely plays the race card, last month claiming Romney supporters were “fueled by racial hatred”simply because they didn’t want to vote for Obama, and is widely regarded as an odious human being, even by fellow liberals such as Jon Stewart, who once savaged Matthews’ position that “everything in life” is a campaign “to sell products” and get ahead via packaging yourself, just like politicians do — that life is one massive PR campaign in which you get ahead by pretending to listen, and by saying whatever people want to hear, even if you’re lying.”

As we reported earlier this week, numerous other commentators attributed the derailing of Mitt Romney’s momentum to the hurricane making landfall on the east coast last Monday – although unlike Matthews none of them gloated over it.

The New York Times’ John Cassidy, Reuters’ Andrew Reeves and popular polling expert Nate Silver all partially attributed Obama’s pre-election surge in the polls to Hurricane Sandy.

The storm provided Obama with the opportunity to appear presidential, while his public image was also boosted ironically by the behavior of Republican Governor Christie, who praised Obama’s handling of the crisis, a view not shared by actual residents who felt Obama abandoned them early to return to the campaign trail.

Looking back on the 2012 presidential race, the appearance of Hurricane Sandy, just like the appearance of Osama Bin Laden in October 2004 which proved pivotal for George W. Bush, will be remembered as the “October surprise” that secured Barack Hussein Obama four more years in the White House.